Address: 19, Ln. 50, Tunhua N. Rd., Taipei (台北市敦化北路50巷19號)
Telephone: (02)2778-0216
Open: 11:30 am - 2pm; 5:30pm - 10pm. Closed Sunday
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Average meal: NT$500, including beverage and dessert.
Details: English menu. Major credit cards acceptedTucked away in a quiet and unassuming alley close to the intersection of Nanking East Road and Tunuwa North Road sits Pasta Mio; an Italian eatery that offers diners fantastic Italian cuisine in an environment far removed from that of the surrounding bedlam.
Opened 18 months ago by John-Henry Kuo (郭惠中), the restaurant's exterior makes it hard to miss in the predominately residential alley. Patrons to Pasta Mio are greeted by a faux waterfall and raised wooden patio.
A six-year veteran of kitchens at several of the city's top hotels, Kuo's culinary prowess and eye for detail ensure the food served up at Pasta Mio is as authentic as that found anywhere in the Mediterranean nation.
To add to the olive oil and garlic-soaked authenticity, Kuo even makes his own pasta. He is extremely proud of the pasta-making machine that sits in the kitchen -- a kitchen Kuo had designed along the lines of a European kitchen as much for convenience as for aesthetics.
Pasta Mio's pasta menu includes a good selection of Italian staples. Dishes such as gnocchi (NT$340), ravioli with crab and prawn sauce (NT$330), linguini with white wine, clam and squid (NT$340), rigatoni with eggplant and cheese (NT$280) and linguine nero and mussels (NT$380) are all popular among the restaurant's regulars.
While the menu lists specific variations of pasta dishes, if diners wish for a different sauce to accompany their pasta they shouldn't be afraid to ask. If Kuo has the ingredients in stock he will be happy to prepare patrons their very own pasta dish.
While the chef prides himself on his homemade pasta, there is a lot more on offer at Pasta Mio. The menu includes a choice of salads ranging in price from NT$180 to NT$290 and several types of risotto including mushroom with porcini (NT$340), seafood and saffron (NT$350) and sage with Gorgonzola (NT$340).
Of course, being an Italian eatery, pizza is sure to be a key element. Pasta Mio's pizza menu includes a great choice of thin-crust 10-inch pizzas. These include seafood, Italian sausage, vegetarian and a house special that incorporates mushrooms, sardines, artichokes and ham and egg. Prices range from NT$290 to NT$400.
Pasta Mio offers 11 types of pasta, coffee and desert on the special lunchtime menu. Customers can get a complete meal from between NT$220 to NT$300 during the restaurant's lunch hours.
There is an extensive choice of Italian wines ranging in price from NT$400 to NT$900 a bottle. Diners can also bring their own favorite tipple to their meal. There is an NT$200 corkage charge, however.
Because of the limited seating at Pasta Mio, patrons are advised to make reservations for Friday or Saturday evenings.
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